President Donald Trump says he thinks Dr. Rick Bright, the former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) who recently filed a whistleblower complaint, is a “disgruntled employee.”
“I never met Dr. Bright. I don’t know who he is,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, “I didn’t hear good things about him. I did not hear good things about him at all.”
He continued, “And to me, he seems like a disgruntled employee that’s trying to help the Democrats win an election.”
Watch the video below:
President Trump: "I never met Dr. Bright. I don't know who he is. I didn't hear good things about him. I did not hear good things about him at all. To me, he seems like a disgruntled employee that's trying to help the Democrats." pic.twitter.com/TtObtO9xVt
— The Hill (@thehill) May 6, 2020
On Tuesday, Bright filed a whistleblower complaint that alleges the Trump administration dismissed his early warnings about the severity of the coronavirus outbreak.
Last month, Bright who was tasked with overseeing the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus, alleged that he was reassigned after he limited the use of two drugs Trump had touted as a “game-changer” in the fight against the coronavirus.
In his whistleblower complaint, Bright called for an investigation and reinstatement to his position as the head of BARDA.
In a statement to The New York Times about his reassignment, Bright claimed he was being retaliated against for limiting the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, as IJR reported.
Additionally, Bright said that he had hired lawyers who represented Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, of sexually assaulting her.